


The Feathered Dragon: A Monster Hunter FanFiction

by JulieJewel24



Category: Monster Hunter (Video Games)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:07:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21637855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JulieJewel24/pseuds/JulieJewel24
Summary: A fan-fiction I had been working on and off of. I intended to try and add a lot more emotion into the Monster Hunter story so expect some darker themes... WARNING: does contain suicide
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

It came in the night on wings of red, deepened in color by its own blood. The dragon had numerous, deep lacerations that covered the vast span of its body, bald patches left where scales or feathers used to be. It took every ounce of what little strength it had left to keep itself in the air. The sound of its beating heart reverberated in its ears as the final ebbs of adrenaline started to sputter out. It was going to die. But it couldn't let its body fail, not yet. It couldn't fail, for it carried its last hope in its claws.

* * * * *

“ _D-di-ding! D-di-ding!_ The warning bells chimed. I was about to get up from my desk when…”

“ _Bam!”_ Aldmira finished her father’s sentence, “Your door flew open!” She flung out her arms, meaning to do so for emphasis, but instead gave off the appearance of a charging Gypceros.

“Yes, yes. And that's when Ēsugo came rushing into my office, eyes wide, shouting, ‘Holy Hermituars! Chief!’” Aldmira giggled. She always found Ēsugo’s cheesy puns to be hilarious, wishing that she could meet him someday, now that she was old enough to understand his jokes. Unfortunately, he left the village soon after she herself arrived there, having gone off to join some sort of prestigious group or something.

Her father continued, “Ēsugo gasped. ‘An Elder Dragon just Diablowed into the village! Come quick!’ I sighed. ‘Is it for real this time? You said that the last time when you thought a Chameleous had broken into the village. It turned out to be a prank by the children!’ ‘I know!’ He said. ‘But I'm not Kirin you, it's for real this time.’ ‘Then why did the bells stop chiming?’ I asked him. ‘Because, it’s… dead.’ ‘What?! Are you sure?’ ‘I'm pretty sure, or it's just **really** close to it.’ I had not expected his answer, but what he said next astonished me even more. ‘No one in the village can confirm what kind of elder it is. Not even the Wyverians.’

“I let Ēsugo lead me to where he said the dragon was, though it was quite obvious due to the large crowd—practically everyone in the village—gathered around Mrs. Merri’s and Ms. Whiskers’ herb garden. As I neared the site, I could see the old Wyverian, Mrs. Merri, nearby. She waved me over. Mrs. Merri looked up at me from under her wide-brimmed, straw hat and cried, ‘oh Che—’”

“Papa,” Aldmira interrupted, “I wanna do this part! Please?”

“Alright, alright,” he chuckled, “settle down now. After all, you're supposed to go to sleep after I’ve finished the story.”

“Can I do the old lady voice?” Aldmira said, disregarding her father’s last sentence.

He chuckled again. “Well, she **is** old, but don't ever tell her that, else you'll get an earful.” He then mumbled to himself, “Gods know she’s given me enough to fill a thousand or more.”

“Yay!” Aldmira cheered, then continued in her best old lady voice. ‘Oh Chief! My kitten and I tried to salvage what we could, but little could be saved!’ She stomped her little, clawed foot, ‘I mean, just look at the mess that dragon left behind!’ Okay, now you, Papa.”

He cleared his voice. “Indeed, the garden was a mess. The stone fence was damaged, part of it now just a pile of rocks, and there was a long, wide streak of upturned soil that took up most of the space of the garden, like a fresh scar on a hunter’s face. At the far end of that scar was the claw that caused it. The dragon laid there, still. I approached it cautiously. It wasn't dead, but it was most definitely going to be so in a matter of minutes.

“It was an Elder Dragon, indeed, but one that I had never seen before in all my years of hunting. It was mostly red, though part of it may have been white—hard to tell with the amount of blood that soaked its scaly hide. It had two sharp horns on its head, one broken, both peeking out of its mane like teeth from an open maw. A pair of ears laid below them, nearly as pointy but at about two-fifths the length. The dragon had a flowing, white mane that sprouted from the top and back of its head. The hair or fur continued along its spine and ended just before the end of its tail. The dragon’s wings were comprised of feathers, with some also on its forelimbs, mimicking that of a pseudo wyvern. It must've once looked prideful and glorious, but in this sad state it was more like a bird wyvern in-between multiple cycles of molt, ridden with disease.

“I closed the last bit of distance between me and the creature. I know that getting close to a weakened animal, even one near death, was a dangerous move, and yet, strangely, I felt completely at ease. The dragon looked at me with its glazed eyes. In them was an emotion I was very familiar with, one that I had seen many a time back in my hunting days—desperation. Yet another emotion lied there. Hope, perhaps? I rested my hand gently on its neck, stroking it in the direction of its scales. The dragon huffed, though its breath came out more like a wheeze as it coughed up droplets of blood.

“‘I don't know what harmed you,’ I said to the dragon, ‘but whatever it was, it’s not here. You can pass in peace, for none shall disturb you until your soul has fully left this plane.’ I still don't know why I felt the need to say such to an Elder Dragon, but it seemed to understand, and possibly even thankful for my kind words.

“Suddenly it moved, repositioning itself to its side, and reached its foreclaw towards me. People in the crowd gasped, some trying to warn me. ‘Watch out!’ Ēsugo called out, lunging forward. I stood my ground. The dragon slowly outstretched its talons as the last sparks of life drained from its eyes. Mine, however, may have glittered with more life and emotion than they ever had. For what laid in its now open palm was a miracle. What happened that day was something that you’d think could only happen in stories. For in the dragon’s claw…”

“There I was,” Aldmira said.

“There you were,” her father confirmed.


	2. Chapter 2

“Thanks for telling me the story of how I came to the village again, Papa!” Aldmira said, her eyes sparkling in the candlelight.

“Anytime, Princess,” her father said.

Her mother entered the room, “it was only the ten-hundredth time or so,” she said jokingly. “And now it’s time for bed.” She lifted up Aldmira’s chin and kissed her on her forehead. “Goodnight, Aldmira.”

“But how am I supposed to sleep? My birthday is tomorrow!”

“What?!” Her father said sarcastically. “But you just turned nine!”

She giggled and said matter-of-factly, “that was  **last** year Papa.”

“Oh, but I could’ve sworn that we just celebrated your birthday yesterday….” He pretended to be genuinely confused, stroking his beard as if in deep thought.

Both Aldmira and her mother giggled this time. Her mother then said, “Well, birthday or not, Aldmira you still need to go to sleep. You’ve got school in the morning.”

Aldmira responded with clear disappointment. “Aww, do I have to?”

“Yes, of course you do.” She was greeted with another moan. “And you, sir, need to sleep as well. You have important duties to attend to as Chief of this village!” She said, hands on her hips. His response was nearly identical to that of Aldmira’s. “I swear, it’s like I have two children to take care of….”

Later in the bedroom, while the Chief and his wife were preparing for bed, the Chief found himself pondering a great many things.

“Hmm…”

“What is it, darling?”

“Well, tomorrow is the tenth anniversary of when Aldmira arrived.”

“It is a little hard to believe that it’s already been that many years.”

“Yes, but… some of the villagers still don’t seem to fully accept her and that has me worried.”

“Perhaps they just need more time—”

“It’s been  **ten** years, Sarah.  **Ten years** . It may not be a long span of time to a Wyverian, but for a human? Those who still haven’t accepted her may never at this point. Some hunters are forever scared by a hunt gone wrong, both mentally and physically. And seeing an Elder Dragon carrying a human infant is beyond belief to them. They’d rather think she an enemy than accept the fact that an elder helped a human being.”

“Don’t say things like that! She is our daughter and as much a member of this village as anyone else here!”

“I know that!” He sighed and put his thumb and index finger to his temple. “It’s just that such toxic thoughts have the potential to harm not just my position as Chief, but it may come to hurt her as well. I promised to take care of her—to protect her—ever since I first laid eyes on her… but, I know that I won’t always be there for her.” He sighed again. “I’m just worried that she won’t be strong enough to defend herself when that time comes.”

“Mankind can be judgeful, and sometimes cruel, but they’re also capable of great kindness and can light hope in some of the darkest of places. She  **will** be ready, for she is, and will always be, that light of hope—that kindness that knows no bounds. And when her light dims, there will be others to help rekindle that spark.”

“I hope you're right.” He said before they both went to sleep.

* * * * *

The Chief sat at the kitchen table, sipping a mug of energy drink. Sarah, his wife, was cooking at the stove with the family Felyne, Mittens. Aldmira came walking in, fully dressed for school. “ _ Hauhh _ … good morning Mama,” she yawned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

“Good morning, Aldmira,” she said as she flipped a pancake. “What would you like for breakfast?”

“Mmm, those pancakes look good! May I have some too?”

“Sure, sweety. Mittens, please be a doll and get me some more batter?”

She purred, “right away, meowster,” then ran off on all fours to the food-storage room, her little feet making a “ _ scritch scritch scritch _ ” across the floor as she ran.

Sarah sighed, “I'm going to have to ask Mittens if she could file her claws down again when we’re done with breakfast; they're scratching my wooden flooring. Pancakes are ready honey!” Her husband perked up from his mug as she handed a plate to him, as though the food had more effect on his weariness than did his energy drink. Sarah then asked Aldmira, “so, did you get enough sleep last night?”

“I think so.  _ Hauhh _ … though a little more sleep wouldn't hurt.”

“Hmm…” She said, then grabbed a tiny mug from the cupboard and filled it with a yellow liquid. “Here, have some energy drink to wake you up a little.”

“Thanks,” she said before she took a sip. “Mmm! You make the best everything, Mama!”

Mittens came back into the room with the pancake batter, “I'm back!” She meowed.

Sarah turned to the Felyne from her stove. “There you are! I was starting to worry why you were taking longer than usual.”

Mittens gave her a pained smile. “It was on the top shelf and I… couldn't reach it.” She nervously scratched the back of her head as the Chief flinched.

He started to get up from his chair as Sarah turned to him, fire in her eyes. “ **You!** ” He flinched again, but stopped his escape. “You were rummaging in the food storage again!” He gave her a slow nod. “I've warned you before what was going to happen if I caught you rummaging through there again!” Another flinch. “And, not only that, but you, again, forgot to put the ladder back!” Another nod. “ _ Ugh! _ Whatever am I going to do with you!”

He held up his hands in surrender. “I-I'm sorry honey! I was just a little hungry, but I promise that it won't happen again!”

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “That's what you said the  **last time** !” She then looked at the clock and gasped, “oh, look at the time! I'm sorry Aldmira, but I'm not going to have time to make your pancakes; you'll be late for school. Can you please grab an apple or something for today? And I  **promise** I'll make you pancakes for breakfast tomorrow,” she said, shooting her husband another glare on the word, “promise.”

“Okay, Mama,” Aldmira said as she grabbed a bright red apple from the fruit basket, then said, “I’ve gotta go get my school supplies from my room.” She ran off and came back with her leather satchel, bursting to the seams with books, papers, and writing utensils.

Her mother sighed. “Your clothes are all wrinkled,” she said as she leaned down to straighten Aldmira’s skirts. “Just hold still for a moment…. And there! Done!” She gave her a hug. “Have a good day at school, sweety!”

Her father shook off his fear and went over to give her a hug as well. “I’m sure you’ll do fine, my Princess.” He kissed her forehead.

“Bye, bye, Papa, Mama! See you later!” Aldmira said. Then she was out the door and off to school.


	3. Chapter 3

Aldmira arrived at the school within minutes—unsurprising considering that the village wasn’t very big—even when she started to drag her feet. She grabbed a tighter hold of her satchel as she stared up at the school, which was made of a combination of wood and stone just like every other building in the village. However, despite the other buildings, the school was fairly large; rivaling that of the Chieftain's house. Aldmira gulped before walking in. Another day of school, another day of having to be near Francis. 

Francis was the school bully. He picked on anyone and everyone, though it seemed he most often targeted her. If you ever bumped into him, looked at him funny, or said something about or to him, you were most likely going to suffer. Aldmira never understood why Francis always liked to hurt others, though she had to admit that she never really tried to get to know him better. All she knew was that he was mean and very, very tall for his age. He was only two years older than Aldmira herself and yet he stood over her by about two feet, although it may have only seemed that way by how small he makes her feel with his constant jabs and hateful comments.

Aldmira walked into her classroom. Some of her classmates—and neighbors—were already seated, dressed in the proper school clothes: a deep blue shirt and green jacket for both girls and guys, and a deeper green skirt for girls, or slacks for guys. On the upper left side of the jacket was the school’s emblem—a caricature Azure Rathalos holding in one of its claws a rolled up piece of paper almost as big as the Rathalos itself.

Aldmira looked around the room. Thankfully, there was no sign of Francis. It seemed that the teacher hadn't arrived yet, either, as none of her possessions were in the room. “ _ She's usually here by now _ ,” Aldmira thought to herself. She sighed and took her seat towards the back of the classroom. As she sat down, two other girls, Kalie and Ann, walked in, whispering to each other as they took the seats behind Aldmira.

“Did you hear?” Kalie asked her friend, or BFF as they so often call each other.

“What? About the new mystery neighbor?” Ann responded.

Now that Aldmira thought about it, she remembered how a week or two ago she saw her parents talking to someone she'd never met before.

“Yeah,” Kalie continued, “but apparently there's also a kid who lives with her, and no one has even seen or heard from him yet!”

“That's strange….”

“Mhm.”

“I wonder who he is….” Aldmira mused.

“I bet he's cute!” Ann chimed.

Aldmira flinched. “D-did I say that aloud?”

“Yep!”

Then Kalie added, “it's okay though. Actually, you rarely ever say anything in class—”

“We thought you might've gone mute!”

Kalie paused for a moment, her lips parted as though she was about to ask or say something, but must've thought against it and instead cleared her throat. “ _ Ahem _ , it's just nice to be able to hear your voice again.”

Aldmira blushed. “Um, thanks, Kalie. It means a lot to me.”

“So… today we’re going to learn more about plants, right?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“So our faces don’t blow up like blueberries,” Ann added. She puffed her cheeks up, her lips puckering like a Glutton Tuna. She couldn’t hold it for long and burst out laughing. “Ha ha ha ha!”

“Like blueberries?” Aldmira questioned.

“Like blueberries!” She grinned fiercely, then muttered, “at least that’s what I heard happens when you eat certain plants. If it does happen, then I’ll be the first to pluck them from their bushes and eat them whole.”

Kalie gasped. “Woah, dark!”

Ann laughed again. “Only kidding ... or am I? Mwa ha ha ha ha!” Her evil maniacal laugh was too high-pitched to even be considered that.

All three girls laughed and continued talking as the last few students trickled into class. Strangely, there was still no sign of Francis.

“He probably got in trouble again,” Kalie sighed.

_ Great _ . Aldmira thought.  _ That means he’ll be even meaner tomorrow. _ She was about to wrap herself into the safety of her mental playground when the teacher stepped into class.

“I apologize for being so late, class,” Mrs. Merri said. As all of the teachers were people from within the village, there were only so many people who were experienced enough and had enough free time to do so. Mrs. Merri taught on a regular basis, her farm well-tended while she was away by Ms. Whiskers and the other Felynes the old Wyverian had adopted over the years. “Before we begin class, I’d like to introduce your new classmate.” She looked over towards the entryway, “now come on in dearie.”

A boy about Aldmira’s age peeped out from around the door. His shaggy, Nargacuga-colored hair fell over his eyes, though Aldmira could still see the bags lying underneath them. His eyes looked red and sunken as though he'd been crying. The boy kept his head low, his chin dipped towards his chest, as he came into the room.  _ Why does he look so sad? _ Aldmira pondered. The weight in her heart grew ever greater the more she looked at him.

Aldmira wasn't the only one who took notice of the boy’s sorrow. She heard Kalie mumble behind her, “that kid’s clearly been through hell and back.”

When the boy reached the front of the classroom, Mrs. Merri, about the same height as him, put her hand on his shoulder and said, “may I introduce Katsuo Kenshi.”

The whole classroom went wild. Katsuo Kenshi; son of the great great-swordsman, Kasai Kenshi.


	4. Chapter 4

Twelve years earlier…

Thunder boomed in the sky as a great flash streaked through the sky. Kasai stood his ground, hands gripped tightly around his Dreadking Rathalos great sword. His armor, made from the same beast, shone brightly as another bolt of lightning streaked down, the sky belching another loud boom. Lightning struck again and again, each bolt glistening off of Kasai’s armor and sword. Then, just as one bolt came down upon him, he dodged and swung his heavy sword.  _ Clang! _ It sounded as it bounced off the Kirin’s hard scales.

“Damn!” Kasai cried out. “Almost got ‘em!” He swung again. This time it was the Kirin’s turn to dodge. Kasai was infamous to its kind, for he was the one man known for being able to pierce the scales of a fully charged Kirin. His attacks were so calculated and precise, that he could fell nearly any beast in just a few blows, even elders. For any other hunter to kill an elder dragon, it would take a great many hits with a blade, blunt, bolt, or arrow.

The Kirin dodged, then reared up on its hind legs and neighed. Electricity danced around its horn as the sky grumbled and hissed. Suddenly, numerous bolts of lightning shot down, tearing into the ground and leaving scars in their wake. But Kasai predicted this, jumping back just before lightning could strike him down. He took a step forward, swinging his blade upward and across the Kirin’s inner hind leg, right where the scales were thinnest and the muscle was greatest. He cut through it in a diagonal, piercing through scale and flesh, muscle and tendon.

With its one leg nearly severed, the Kirin toppled to the ground, no longer able to support its bulk. It tried desperately to stand back up but couldn’t as its legs continually gave out underneath it. Kirin, though powerful, were creatures that couldn’t stand on three legs. Kasai walked forward toward the beast, a bit of swagger in each step. He held his greatsword casually over his shoulder as though it was weightless. When he stood over the Kirin, they looked deep into each other’s eyes for a few moments. They both knew the winner of this fight. The Kirin lowered its head to the ground and let out a sigh as Kasai took his sword in both hands and brought it down upon the elder dragon’s neck.

* * * * *

“Another successful hunt! Well done!” The guildmarm greeted Kasai.

“I’m just glad to be back!” He grinned. “How’s Charlotte been while I was gone?”

“She’s been doing very well! In fact, she’s got a big surprise for you,” she said, barely able to contain her excitement. “She’s been wanting to show you since a little while after you left.”

He laughed. “You know I don’t like surprises.”

“Well, I’m not spoiling this one!”

“Aww,” Kasai pouted, “but we’re friends, aren’t we?”

The guildmarm sighed. “I’m not supposed to tell you anything, but it  **is** a surprise that I just know you’ll enjoy! Now hurry home or else I may ruin the surprise for Charlotte!”

“Fine,” Kasai mocked a huff as turned on his heel. “I’ll be going now. See ya!” He said before heading downhill toward his house.

* * * * *

“Kasai, is that you?” Charlotte asked as she heard the front door creak open.

“Yeah, it’s me,” he said, removing his great sword from his back to rest it against the wall.

“You sure like to barge into places without announcing yourself.”

His steps echoed down the hall. “And you say that like it’s a bad thing.”

She felt a small squeeze around her finger as she caressed the bundle in her arms. “In a civilized place, it is.”

“Well that’s what you get for marrying the beast that I am!” He chuckled as he opened the door to their bedroom. When he looked up to the bed where Charlotte was laying, he discovered the tiny being she carried. His eyes widened as much as his jaw did as he let out a gasp.

“Welcome home!” Charlotte smiled as she raised the baby’s head to hers. “Come and meet your son!”

“He—We—I—” Katsuo stammered, completely at a loss for words as tears filled his eyes. “I-I’m a father?!  **I’m a father!** ” He cried, tears streaming down his face.

“Well, becoming a father is usually what happens when you’re going one. I thought we already went over this when I announced to you that I was pregnant.”

“Can, can I hold him?”

“Of course! You’re his father after all.”

“I’m a father,” he said again, as though he couldn’t grasp the idea that he helped create this new life which he now held in his arms. “I’m a father.”

“You keep saying that and those will be his first words!” Charlotte laughed.

* * * * *

“Fader,” Katsuo said.

“No, no. Father,” Kasai corrected. “Like this: fa-ther.”

“Fa-der.”

“No, father. Fa-th-th-ther. Father.”

“Fa-d-der. Fader!”

“Faaattthhherrr.”

“Faaaderrr.”

Kasai sighed.

“Don’t worry, he’ll get it eventually,” Charlotte assured her husband.

“Yeah, I know,” Kasai grumbled. “But then why can he say ‘mommy’ with no problem?”

“It’s just easier to say, I guess. Why are you so persistent on getting him to get him to call you that, anyway? Most dads just go with ‘papa’ or ‘daddy,’ right?”

“But you said if I say it enough, it’ll be his first word!”

“You’re still going on about that? Besides I was referring to the whole ‘I’m a father’ part. Also, I was joking.”

Kasai pouted.

“Mommy! Mommy!” Katsuo called to Charlotte, reaching out to her with his tiny, three-year old hands. “Up!”

“Alright, come here you!” She said, picking him up under the arms, before giving him a tight squeeze and a smooch on the forehead.

Kasai stood up and stretched. “Welp, I best get going. I’ve been called for a meeting with the hunters’ guild.”

“Whatever for?”

“Dunno. But whatever it is, it’s got to be important.”

“I-I hope that it’s nothing.”

_ Most definitely not. _ Kasai thought to himself. “I’ll return straight home afterwards and let you know.”


	5. Chapter 5

Kasai opened the door to his house and shut it. Charlotte came up to him and said, “hi honey, how was the meeting?”

He picked up his great sword and strapped it to his back. “I’m going to have to go out on another long hunt again,” he said as he went over to the item box and started to gather his supplies.

“Another one? So soon? Can’t you stay a while longer?”

“I’m sorry, but the higher ups were very serious about this one.”

Charlotte shook her head in dismay.

“You know that I’m one of the best hunters they got! And I can’t just say no!”

Charlotte stared at him for a moment, then said with furrowed brows, “what did they say?”

Kasai’s expression hardened, both hands on the brim of the item box. “I… I can’t say.”

“What? Why?” Charlotte cried.

“I-I’m sorry. I just can’t!”

“You know how much I worry every time you go out!” She nearly screamed.

“I  **know** !” Kasai noticed how Charlotte’s teary eyes clouded over and how her face went slack. He rarely ever raised his voice, especially when talking toward her. He repeated himself, this time a little more than a whisper. “I know… I’m sorry, Charlotte,” he zipped closed his hunter’s pack, “but I have to do this.” He lifted up his pack and turned to leave before Charlotte grabbed ahold of his hand.

“Please, promise me you will come back?” She cried.

He stared at her face for a moment, studying every square inch, reminding himself of every spot he kissed in their time together as though this moment could be their last. He brought her close and wrapped his arms around her as she cried. “I promise,” he said as he kissed her on the lips. It was a deep kiss, but not so deep as the first kiss of young lovers nor of those ready to strip as naked as the beasts they hunt. No, it was a slow, passionate kiss like those saved for soldiers going off to war.

Katsuo, who was then playing with his wooden toys, sensed something was wrong but was unable to understand due to his youth. He tottered over and grabbed hold of his father’s pants to steady himself, looking up curiously toward his parents whom towered over him. Kasai reached down with one of his hands to mess with his son’s hair. Both he and Charlotte smiled down at their son.

Charlotte, carrying Katsuo in her arms, followed Kasai to the front gate to see him off. Some of the other villagers, who took notice of his early leave from home, also came by to do the same. After wishing him good luck on his hunt and getting a final affirmation from the guild leader, Kasai set off on his hunt with a few other hunters.

* * * * *

A week had passed since Kasai left to complete his mission. Then a month, then half a year. With each passing day it was becoming clearer and clearer to Charlotte that Kasai was never going to hold her in his arms again. The Hunter’s Guild lost contact with him and the other hunters a short while after they left, and since then they had been working diligently to find them, well that is, until a couple of months ago when they gave up their search. The many that volunteered to help search for the missing hunters had long since given up.

She stared up at the front door from her huddled position on the floor. Katsuo tried many times to get her attention, with each try resulting in failure. The fog that is regret and depression can cloud many things—it clouded her eyes from her sight and her mind from her judgement. “Yes,” she said, a psychotic grin spreading across her misshapen face, injured from the many days and nights crying, and the many times she scared herself with her nails as she wept. “That’s the way! I WiLL sEe YOu AgAiN SoON mY LOvE!”

* * * * *

“Mommy?” Katsuo questioned his mom as she got up from her sleeping spot to go into from another room. He tried to continue playing with his toys but curiosity got the better of him, so he headed in the direction his mother went. As he neared the room where his parents used sleep together at night, he heard something fall over, followed by a noise that terrified him. He did not quite know what the sound was or why he why it chilled him to his core, but it did, and he felt the urgent need to rush to his mother’s side. He walked even faster, not caring if he fell or knocked something over, as long as he came to his mom’s aid. The scratchy noise got louder the closer her got, and with every moment that passed it got more and more agitated, like the growl of palico if you continued to pesture it after it already warned you to stop.

When he arrived he noticed that his mom was the one making the strange, terrifying sound. Her face, even higher up as she was floating in the doorway, had a strange tint to it. Her feet and arms danced about, jerking this way and that. “Mommy?” Katsuo questioned again. Her eyes met his. He saw as her terrified eyes turned milky and emotionless, and her body went slack. “Mommy?” No response. “Mommy?” Katsuo tugged on her pants. No response. “Mommy?!” He gripped as tight a hold of his mother as her could, shaking her hoping to get her to do something, anything. “ **Mommy!** ”


End file.
